From sap to tap, law targets more syrup

Published 2:13 pm, Sunday, May 18, 2014

Bill Hill, owner of Warrups Farm in Redding, works on a line for collecting maple sap. He has over a mile of line which the sap flows through and into collection tanks. Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Bill Hill, owner of Warrups Farm in Redding, works on a line for collecting maple sap. He has over a mile of line which the sap flows through and into collection tanks. Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Photo: Scott Mullin

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Bill Hill, owner of Warrups Farm in Redding, works on a line for collecting maple sap. He has over a mile of line which the sap flows through and into collection tanks. Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Bill Hill, owner of Warrups Farm in Redding, works on a line for collecting maple sap. He has over a mile of line which the sap flows through and into collection tanks. Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Photo: Scott Mullin

Image 3 of 6

Bill Hill, owner of Warrups Farm in Redding, works on a line for collecting maple sap. He has over a mile of line which the sap flows through and into two 300 gallon collection tanks. Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Bill Hill, owner of Warrups Farm in Redding, works on a line for collecting maple sap. He has over a mile of line which the sap flows through and into two 300 gallon collection tanks. Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Photo: Scott Mullin

Image 4 of 6

Bill Hill, owner of Warrups Farm in Redding, works on a line for collecting maple sap. He has over a mile of line which the sap flows through and into two 300 gallon collection tanks. Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Bill Hill, owner of Warrups Farm in Redding, works on a line for collecting maple sap. He has over a mile of line which the sap flows through and into two 300 gallon collection tanks. Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Photo: Scott Mullin

Image 5 of 6

Bill Hill, owner of Warrups Farm in Redding, works on a line for collecting maple sap. He has over a mile of line which the sap flows through and into collection tanks. Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Bill Hill, owner of Warrups Farm in Redding, works on a line for collecting maple sap. He has over a mile of line which the sap flows through and into collection tanks. Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Photo: Scott Mullin

Image 6 of 6

Bill Hill, owner of Warrups Farm in Redding, with the evaporator in the sugar house where maple sap is boiled down into maple syrup. Last year Bill produce about 50 gallons of maple syrup. Wednesday, May 14, 2014 less

Bill Hill, owner of Warrups Farm in Redding, with the evaporator in the sugar house where maple sap is boiled down into maple syrup. Last year Bill produce about 50 gallons of maple syrup. Wednesday, May 14, ... more

Photo: Scott Mullin

From sap to tap, law targets more syrup

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Making maple syrup in the state is anything but easy.

While Connecticut produces the least amount of maple syrup in New England, state lawmakers hope new legislation will spur industry growth by taking away some of the roadblocks.

"The clear reason producers have given for the low output of maple syrup is the concern they have for the liability associated with opening up forestland and tapping," said state Rep. Arthur O'Neill, a Republican from Southbury who introduced the legislation. "We should clear the way for the producers of good-quality maple syrup and allow them to compete with other states."

O'Neill said while demand has increased for local maple syrup along with increased demands for local foods, more than 90 percent of the syrup consumed in Connecticut comes from out of state.

"There are a lot of trees in the state that could be tapped that aren't being used," said Bill Hill, the owner of Warrup's Farm in Redding. "There is the possibility that more could be produced, but the work really is a labor of love."

Mark Harran, president of the Maple Syrup Producers Association of Connecticut, said less than 1 percent of the state's maple trees are being used to produce syrup. That's compared to other higher producing states like Vermont, where about 4 percent of the state's maple trees are tapped.

"Maple farmers usually can't afford to own large tracts of land," Harran said. "And the hesitation by private landowners to allow farmers to tap trees on their property is usually concerns about lability, what if someone gets hurt on their property."

The legislation introduced by O'Neill, and signed into law on Monday by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, limits the amount of liability private property owners would face when making such an arrangement.

"It's certainly a step in the right direction," said Harran, who also operates the Brookside Farm II in Litchfield. "People want to buy local products and we make some of the best maple syrup in the world. This is a big opportunity and a lot of producers are eager to expand their operations."

While Harran is optimistic about the state's maple syrup industry, he said it likely will never rival that of Vermont or Quebec -- the largest maple syrup producers in the world where more than 33 percent of the maple trees are tapped.

"One of the problems with Connecticut is that we are so highly suburbanized," he said. "There aren't a lot of large tracts of land that are left in the state. Most of what's available is in the northwest and northeast parts of the state."

O'Neill said the state's 400 maple syrup farmers currently produce about $1 million worth of the product annually. With increased taps on private lands, he said that number could jump to more than $20 million.

"The trees are already in the state and many are accessible," he said. "It should be feasible to increase the maple syrup production in the state, and employment associated with the industry."

Rob Lamothe, operator of Lamothe's Sugar House in Burlington, is the largest maple syrup producer in the state with more than 5,600 taps.

"There is a tremendous amount of potential by removing the liability concerns," he said.

Lamothe said private property owners should consider the potential property tax savings by allowing to maple farmers use their land. Connecticut property used for agriculture, including maple sap, is taxed at about 25 percent the normal property tax rate, he said.

"A lot of components are coming together right now," he said. "For an honest business person and a good sugar maker, the opportunities have never been better."